Christmas tree light failures

N

N_Cook

Guest
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/
 
In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
<diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
Click to expand...
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.
--
Ian
 
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
<ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.
Click to expand...
And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.
 
In message <495262a4.547196656@news.motzarella.org>, Graz
<graz@gmail.com> writes
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.

They will if you use the same maintenance procedure as the council
Click to expand...
road-sweeper who had the same broom as he had when he started the job 30
years ago!

Actually, that's not completely true. I've also had to do the occasional
bit of re-soldering where the flex has broken off from the sockets.

I've actually got a set of lights (20 largish bulbs) which my parents
tried to surprise me with around 1950. It's short of a few working
bulbs, but I think you can still get them. Unfortunately, they are in
the same place as the set which I have lost.
--
Ian
 
"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ercUpnl1lnUJFwvy@g3ohx.demon.co.uk...
In message <495262a4.547196656@news.motzarella.org>, Graz <graz@gmail.com
writes
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.

They will if you use the same maintenance procedure as the council
road-sweeper who had the same broom as he had when he started the job 30
years ago!

Actually, that's not completely true. I've also had to do the occasional
bit of re-soldering where the flex has broken off from the sockets.

I've actually got a set of lights (20 largish bulbs) which my parents
tried to surprise me with around 1950. It's short of a few working bulbs,
but I think you can still get them. Unfortunately, they are in the same
place as the set which I have lost.
--
Ian
Click to expand...
1) I have found the best way to find something that is missing is to buy a
replacement.

2) Then carefully decide where you will store the replacement to be sure you
can find it later.

3) You will then put the new stuff right beside the one you couldn't find.

4) Next year you will either have found all of them thus having more than
what you want

or

You will be unable to find any of them. In that case

Go to step 1 and repeat.

DAMHIKT.

Charlie
 
"Graz" <graz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:495262a4.547196656@news.motzarella.org...
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.
Click to expand...
**Indeed. They will last longer. MUCH longer. Most sane people buy LED
Christmas lights. These have an almost indefinite life, better colour
rendition (particularly blue) and consume far less energy. My most recently
purchased set (unfortunately purchased at the post-Christmas sale, last
year - I will be checking any future purchases immediately) had the last
four green ones out. Some genius in China had installed one of the LEDs
'round the wrong way. A quick fix and the lights will last longer than I
will. I have absolute confidence that the lights will last many hundreds of
years. Incandescent Christmas lights are so last century.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
 
Trevor Wilson wrote:
"Graz" <graz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:495262a4.547196656@news.motzarella.org...
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.

**Indeed. They will last longer. MUCH longer. Most sane people buy LED
Christmas lights. These have an almost indefinite life, better colour
rendition (particularly blue) and consume far less energy. My most recently
purchased set (unfortunately purchased at the post-Christmas sale, last
year - I will be checking any future purchases immediately) had the last
four green ones out. Some genius in China had installed one of the LEDs
'round the wrong way. A quick fix and the lights will last longer than I
will. I have absolute confidence that the lights will last many hundreds of
years. Incandescent Christmas lights are so last century.
Click to expand...

I haven't had a Christmas tree light burn out in 35 years.


--
http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

aioe.org, Goggle Groups, and Web TV users must request to be white
listed, or I will not see your messages.

If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in
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There are two kinds of people on this earth:
The crazy, and the insane.
The first sign of insanity is denying that you're crazy.
 
In message <6rkrlnF25evtU1@mid.individual.net>, Trevor Wilson
<trevor@_SPAMBLOCK_rageaudio.com.au> writes
"Graz" <graz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:495262a4.547196656@news.motzarella.org...
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.

**Indeed. They will last longer. MUCH longer. Most sane people buy LED
Christmas lights. These have an almost indefinite life, better colour
rendition (particularly blue) and consume far less energy. My most recently
purchased set (unfortunately purchased at the post-Christmas sale, last
year - I will be checking any future purchases immediately) had the last
four green ones out. Some genius in China had installed one of the LEDs
'round the wrong way. A quick fix and the lights will last longer than I
will. I have absolute confidence that the lights will last many hundreds of
years. Incandescent Christmas lights are so last century.
Click to expand...
I'm sure that you are correct. LEDs are less likely to fail, The problem
is that their introduction seems to have coincided with a different
'fashion' in the colours of the lights. Instead of having a good variety
of red, green, blue. orange. purple, white etc, a lot of the new sets of
lights are all one colour (usually garish blue or white). They have made
up for the lack of colours by having providing a lot of programmable
modes for making the lights flash (most of them in a most un-Christmassy
manor).

I have always loved Christmas lights. Although I was barely more than a
toddler, I can still remember arriving with my mother by bus in the
centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, and finding lots of Christmas lights
festooning the trees. It was the first time that they had been allowed
after WW2.
--
Ian
 
In message <izTbfoIPKUVJFwxV@g3ohx.demon.co.uk>, Ian Jackson
<ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> writes
un-Christmassy manor.

Oops! I meant 'manner'!
Click to expand...
--
Ian
 
Ian Jackson wrote:
In message <izTbfoIPKUVJFwxV@g3ohx.demon.co.uk>, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> writes
un-Christmassy manor.

Oops! I meant 'manner'!
Click to expand...

Sure you did. All you 'Brits' are just alike! ;-)


--
http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

aioe.org, Goggle Groups, and Web TV users must request to be white
listed, or I will not see your messages.

If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in
your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm


There are two kinds of people on this earth:
The crazy, and the insane.
The first sign of insanity is denying that you're crazy.
 
In message <Cq6dnTWkMoZM0cjUnZ2dnUVZ_obinZ2d@earthlink.com>, Michael A.
Terrell <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> writes
Ian Jackson wrote:

In message <izTbfoIPKUVJFwxV@g3ohx.demon.co.uk>, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> writes
un-Christmassy manor.

Oops! I meant 'manner'!


Sure you did. All you 'Brits' are just alike! ;-)

My goddamned spoil chalker was ploying oops.
Click to expand...
--
Ian
 
"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:izTbfoIPKUVJFwxV@g3ohx.demon.co.uk...
In message <6rkrlnF25evtU1@mid.individual.net>, Trevor Wilson
trevor@_SPAMBLOCK_rageaudio.com.au> writes



"Graz" <graz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:495262a4.547196656@news.motzarella.org...
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.

**Indeed. They will last longer. MUCH longer. Most sane people buy LED
Christmas lights. These have an almost indefinite life, better colour
rendition (particularly blue) and consume far less energy. My most
recently
purchased set (unfortunately purchased at the post-Christmas sale, last
year - I will be checking any future purchases immediately) had the last
four green ones out. Some genius in China had installed one of the LEDs
'round the wrong way. A quick fix and the lights will last longer than I
will. I have absolute confidence that the lights will last many hundreds
of
years. Incandescent Christmas lights are so last century.


I'm sure that you are correct. LEDs are less likely to fail, The problem
is that their introduction seems to have coincided with a different
'fashion' in the colours of the lights. Instead of having a good variety
of red, green, blue. orange. purple, white etc, a lot of the new sets of
lights are all one colour (usually garish blue or white). They have made
up for the lack of colours by having providing a lot of programmable modes
for making the lights flash (most of them in a most un-Christmassy manor).
Click to expand...
**I guess we're more fortunate down here in Australia. My lights (of the
budget variety) have the following colours: Blue, green, red and
orange/amber. There are 8 modes of operation, including a rather nice
'twinkling' mode. It even has a slow flash, wich my partner finds less
annoying than the regular falshing. We probably use the always on mode most
of all. We also have several varieties of white LEDs available, along with
blue, red and other colours.

I have always loved Christmas lights. Although I was barely more than a
toddler, I can still remember arriving with my mother by bus in the centre
of Newcastle upon Tyne, and finding lots of Christmas lights festooning
the trees. It was the first time that they had been allowed after WW2.
Click to expand...
**I STILL reckon LEDs are far and away the best thing in Christmas lights
ever made.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
 
On Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:03:49 +1100, "Trevor Wilson"
<trevor@_SPAMBLOCK_rageaudio.com.au> put finger to keyboard and
composed:

Most sane people buy LED
Christmas lights. These have an almost indefinite life, better colour
rendition (particularly blue) and consume far less energy. My most recently
purchased set (unfortunately purchased at the post-Christmas sale, last
year - I will be checking any future purchases immediately) had the last
four green ones out. Some genius in China had installed one of the LEDs
'round the wrong way. A quick fix and the lights will last longer than I
will. I have absolute confidence that the lights will last many hundreds of
years. Incandescent Christmas lights are so last century.
Click to expand...
IME most problems have been due to poor connections rather than bulb
failures. Of the bulbs that do fail, many are crushed due to
mishandling.

I agree that LEDs are the way to go, but I'd want them hard-wired for
maximum reliability. Of course that would then stop you from
customising your own colour arrangements.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.
 
Ian Jackson wrote:
In message <Cq6dnTWkMoZM0cjUnZ2dnUVZ_obinZ2d@earthlink.com>, Michael A.
Terrell <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> writes

Ian Jackson wrote:

In message <izTbfoIPKUVJFwxV@g3ohx.demon.co.uk>, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> writes
un-Christmassy manor.

Oops! I meant 'manner'!


Sure you did. All you 'Brits' are just alike! ;-)

My goddamned spoil chalker was ploying oops.
Click to expand...

It was over egg nogged. ;-)


--
http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

aioe.org, Goggle Groups, and Web TV users must request to be white
listed, or I will not see your messages.

If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in
your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm


There are two kinds of people on this earth:
The crazy, and the insane.
The first sign of insanity is denying that you're crazy.
 
"Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote in message
news:ggial4d9cagj9cddhn717oppij6jgjhtf1@4ax.com...
On Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:03:49 +1100, "Trevor Wilson"
trevor@_SPAMBLOCK_rageaudio.com.au> put finger to keyboard and
composed:

Most sane people buy LED
Christmas lights. These have an almost indefinite life, better colour
rendition (particularly blue) and consume far less energy. My most
recently
purchased set (unfortunately purchased at the post-Christmas sale, last
year - I will be checking any future purchases immediately) had the last
four green ones out. Some genius in China had installed one of the LEDs
'round the wrong way. A quick fix and the lights will last longer than I
will. I have absolute confidence that the lights will last many hundreds
of
years. Incandescent Christmas lights are so last century.

IME most problems have been due to poor connections rather than bulb
failures. Of the bulbs that do fail, many are crushed due to
mishandling.

I agree that LEDs are the way to go, but I'd want them hard-wired for
maximum reliability. Of course that would then stop you from
customising your own colour arrangements.
Click to expand...
**ME? I doubt that. I have a soldering iron, a heat gun and a good supply of
heatshrink. The average punter may be flummoxed though.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au
 
In article <izTbfoIPKUVJFwxV@g3ohx.demon.co.uk>,
Ian Jackson <ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

I'm sure that you are correct. LEDs are less likely to fail,
Click to expand...
The LEDs have a longer lifetime than incandescents, but I've heard
numerous reports of high failure rates on LED-based Christmas light
strings.

It sounded as if cheap socketing/wiring was the cause... corrosion
would end up disconnecting the LED leads from the wiring.

This was a couple of years ago, and (I think) may have involved the
cheap-end-of-the-market products. I imagine there are high-quality
LED light strings available today, as well as bottom-of-the-barrel
junk.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!
 
On Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:50:21 +1100, "Trevor Wilson"
<trevor@_SPAMBLOCK_rageaudio.com.au> put finger to keyboard and
composed:

"Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote in message
news:ggial4d9cagj9cddhn717oppij6jgjhtf1@4ax.com...

I agree that LEDs are the way to go, but I'd want them hard-wired for
maximum reliability. Of course that would then stop you from
customising your own colour arrangements.

**ME? I doubt that. I have a soldering iron, a heat gun and a good supply of
heatshrink. The average punter may be flummoxed though.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I didn't mean to impugn your ability. I was speaking generally.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.
 
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:26:36 -0000, Graz <graz@gmail.com> wrote:

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 +0000, Ian Jackson
ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.

And there's no way the new ones will last 30 years.
Click to expand...
New ones are LEDs, they last longer and aren't usually screwed in, so won't come loose like the OP described.

And who let you out of uk.rec.driving? Are you following me?

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

This fellow comes into a pharmacy and asks for a vial of cyanide. The pharmacist, trying to keep a professional posture, asked what he wanted it for.
The fellow said, "I want to kill my wife."
"I'm sorry Sir," the pharmacist replied, "but you will have to understand under such circumstances I can't sell you any cyanide."
The guy reaches into his wallet and produces a photo of his wife, then shows it to the pharmacist.
The pharmacist blushes and replies, "I am sorry, sir, I didn't realize you had a prescription."
 
On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:51:44 -0000, Ian Jackson <ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

In message <gitaq5$msj$1@news.motzarella.org>, N_Cook
diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes
My response to someone's query in a UK national newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1880,00.html
probably a load of balloney but it was the only published reply


When the festivities are over, our 30 year old set of 40 small lights
gets carefully wound onto a copy of the Christmas edition of the Radio
Times from around 1980. They are then put away carefully.

The following Christmas, before unwinding them, I always plug them in
first to test them. And guess what? They NEVER work until I check the
tightness of all 40 of them - and it IS always number 40 which is the
slack one. Only then do I unwind them, and put them up. Finally, I spend
a few minutes nostalgically looking at the old Radio Times, and realise
that most of the performers are now dead.
Click to expand...
I used to have a set which was decades old. The voltage of the bulbs had changed slightly (mains from 250 to 230 volts?), and I never planned ahead enough to buy a whole set of bulbs, but just replaced the burnt out ones. As the new ones were slightly lower voltage, they always went first. Replaced about 7 or 8 a year.

However, this year, I couldn't find them. I've obviously put them away
too carefully. So I treated myself to a new set. These are high-tech,
with 8 programmable modes of flashing. Christmas will never be the same.
Click to expand...
I can see some houses in my street from a few miles away.

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

"First things first, but not necessarily in that order." - Doctor Who
 
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